Month: August 2018

Be a laborer, great or small, do it well, or not at all Every Labor Day weekend I either write something about that little ditty or at least think about it. My friend and former colleague Sarellen (yes, they made… Continue Reading →

I don’t know what has me thinking about the time my wife and I took her mother on a trip to London, but I am sitting here smiling over what a fellow said to me at Heathrow when we were… Continue Reading →

For those who didn’t get the email, allow me to make your day by telling you Susquehanna Brewing Company is introducing this year’s version of its pumpkin ale today, Friday, August 24. Billed a “Tasting Room Release!” (their exclamation point,… Continue Reading →

Scrolling through the channels on a recent morning, I came across a showing of the Italian film “Life is Beautiful.” Despite its difficult subject matter (life in a Nazi concentration camp), this is one of my favorite movies. Which gives… Continue Reading →

I just got back from Pittston Candy and Tobacco on Broad Street. And also a little side trip to a dollar store. Why? Because tomorrow is parade day in downtown Pittston. The Pittston Tomato Festival parade gets going at 10:30… Continue Reading →

They used to call Willie Mays the “Say Hey Kid.” Mays is considered possibly the greatest all-around baseball player ever and I tend to agree. He played the game with a little boy enthusiasm that made him great fun to… Continue Reading →

I spent part of Father’s Day in June in a movie theater in Los Angeles with my son and daughter-in-law. We went to see “Mr. Rogers.” And the three of us cried. They were tears of joy more than tears… Continue Reading →

We decided to take Tuesday off. Or at least Tuesday morning. I had already written and filed my weekly column. I do my best work at 5 a.m. And although I had more writing I wanted to get to and… Continue Reading →

That’s how Dion (DiMucci) introduced nearly every song he performed at the Kirby Center in Wilkes-Barre last Friday night. The audience loved it. And loved him. Throughout, I kept wondering if I’d ever seen an entertainer more sincere. I felt… Continue Reading →

I decided while having coffee at home Sunday morning to go to the 11:30 a.m. Mass at St. John the Evangelist Church, but I didn’t know why. Until I got there. When I arrived, I noticed my friend of some… Continue Reading →

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About the Optimist

Ed Ackerman, a consulting editor and columnist for the Greater Pittston Progress, has served the people of Greater Pittston for 48 years, starting in the newspaper field at age 17. The Pittston resident will share his thoughts in this blog and in a weekly column published in the Progress. greaterpittstonprogress.com